Spirits
Spirits are the souls of the deceased that can sometimes manifest in the living plane. They are known to reside on the Other Side or, if having unfinished business, the between-place. Characteristics Usually, spirits dwell in the Other Side or afterlife. It is not known if all races become spirits after physical death, though it is known that witches do (and presumably humans do so as well). There is some debate as to whether vampires become spirits should they die, due to the theory vampires have no souls (the fact that vampires can be affected by [[the Soulmate Principle|the 'Soul'mate Principle]] would suggest they do indeed have souls and could therefore plausibly become spirits). It is unknown if Old Souls (humans, and possibly other races, who repeatedly reincarnate into a new body after death) temporarily become spirits in between incarnations. Spirits reside in the between-place or, occasionally, the mortal plane, if they cannot cross over to the afterlife, either by their own choice or due to having "unfinished business". Any number of reasons can cause spirits to refuse or be unable to cross over and thus linger, though it often involves the circumstances surrounding their death. Spirits, or at the very least, the spirits of witches, can be voluntarily summoned to the world of the living using a summoning spell or can enter the living world by 'hitching a lift', so to speak, with a spirit who temporarily died and then returned to their body. The nature of spirits and their behaviour towards the living can vary. Some spirits are benevolent, serving as protectors of the living, or playing benign pranks. Others, however, are more malevolent, seeking to harm and even kill mortals or manipulate them for their own goals. Spirits can go to the afterlife (or return there, if summoned), if they conclude their unfinished business on Earth and/or find peace. They can also be forcibly sent back using a sending-back spell. History In ancient times, belief in spirits was very common amongst witches and humans. The Tribe of the Three Rivers believed that the second made vampire, Theorn, could be a spirit sent by their goddess and so brought him to their shaman, Old Mother. Hana of the Three Rivers feared the goddess would be angry with them for harming a spirit. In the Renaissance, the spirit of a deceased witch, Walstan Harman, refused to cross over and stuck around playing pranks on his mortal relatives, before being lured into a spell-casting circle by Nicolas Harman using Walstan's favourite foods and sent to the Other Side using the sending-back spell. It is apparently a tradition for the Inner Circle to summon a witch spirit on the night of Samhain, when the 'veil' between the living world and the spirit world is thinnest. This ritual is strictly forbidden to all but the Inner Circle (partly because of the dangers of summoning a malevolent spirit or setting a spirit loose). Suzanne Blanchet's summoning In a desperate attempt to protect the boy she loves - Eric Ross - from her cousin Blaise, Thea Harman tries summoning the spirit of a benevolent witch named Phoebe Garner. However, Blaise interrupts Thea during the summoning spell, resulting in a fight breaking out between the two girls. During the struggle, an amulet later revealed to be Suzanne Blanchet's, is knocked into the balefire prepared by Thea and releases Suzanne. At first believing the spirit she summoned to be harmless, Thea later discovers that Suzanne killed a human boy at her school by the name of Kevin Immamura. Doing research with her friend Dani Abforth, Thea learns about Suzanne's tragic past and her hatred for humans. Coupled with information from a book of old stories and her Grandma Harman, Thea gets help from Eric to perform a sending-back spell and put Suzanne back where she came from. However, on Halloween, Thea is intercepted by the Inner Circle for casting forbidden spells. Eric, despite lacking magical powers, decides to lure Suzanne out to the area where and Thea are supposed to perform the spell. Suzanne arrives seeking to kill Eric, but he manages to fend her off until Thea escapes the Inner Circle to begin the spell. After a brief skirmish with Suzanne, Thea casts the sending-back spell, calling upon "her own Power as a daughter of Hellewise", and successfully sealing Suzanne away to beyond the veil. Spellbinder Gary Fargeon's summoning Lured by the sound of a child crying in the forest, Gillian Lennox falls into an icy cold stream. She manages to climb out before succumbing to hypothermia and dying. Her spirit crosses through the "narrow path" and ends up at the between-place, where she is intercepted by a being called "Angel". He tells Gillian that her death was accidental and gives her the choice of crossing over to the "Other Side" permanently, or returning to life. Gillian chooses the latter, and wakes up fully restored from the hypothermia. After being found by David Blackburn and Tanya Jun, Gillian returns home where Angel appears before her again, claiming that he's her guardian angel and the one who healed her. He also tells Gillian that he can help her achieve her dream of becoming popular at her school, and making David Blackburn fall in love with her, but only if she fully trusts him. Gillian agrees, and with Angel's help, she becomes popular overnight and gets David. However, Angel's true nature is revealed when he tells Gillian that she's a lost Harman witch and part of the Night World. He goads her into going to a Black Iris Club full of dangerous Night People, but fortunately Gillian is saved by the vampire Ash Redfern. Following the frightening experience, Gillian begins suspecting Angel's darker side. When the malevolent aspects of the curse Angel convinced to cast on Tanya Jun and Kim start showing, Gillian confronts Angel about it. He reveals that he intends on possessing Gillian to kill David in a car crash, thereby "slipping in" as David dies. However, both Gillian and David survive the ordeal and end up hospitalised. Following this, Gillian seeks out a witch by the name Melusine, who believes that "Angel" is not in fact Gillian's guardian angel; rather an earthbound spirit. She tells Gillian that he probably crossed over with her when she returned to life, and the only way to return Angel to where he came from is by helping him with his unfinished business. Melusine wishes Gillian good luck as she sets out to find Angel's true identity. Gillian goes to a cemetery, hoping to find Angel's grave. She is intercepted by him, and by her insistence, he leads her to his grave, upon which "Gary Fargeon" is inscribed. Under further questioning, Gillian learns that Gary's unfinished business was that he accidentally killed a little girl (Paula Belizer), but he hid her body and died himself before revealing the truth of what he did. Additionally, Gillian discovers he was the voice that lured Gillian to her death. Albeit reluctantly, Gary takes Gillian to the place he buried Paula Belizer's body. With David's help, she uncovers the corpse and alerts the authorities. Paula's father is present, claiming that he forgives the person who killed his daughter. However, Gary seeks Gillian's first, before being drawn into a magnificent light, finally able to find peace on the Other Side. Dark Angel Possible Spirit Encounters Aradia Crowley, Maiden of the Witches, is able to call upon Hellewise Hearth-Woman when appealing to the rogue witch, Sylvia Weald, to help them stop Hunter Redfern's plans to kill the Wild Power, Delos Redfern. Aradia briefly appears to take on Hellewise's appearance and speaks with her voice, suggesting that the spirit of the witch ancestress somehow crossed over and 'possessed' Aradia, who was a willing vessel. Sylvia is so awed by the sight, she repents her earlier disownment of the witches and removes the spell inhibiting Delos' blue fire abilities, allowing him to destroy Hunter. In Witchlight, Iliana Dominick, a lost Harman and Wild Power, claims to have heard a voice of sorts, telling her the words of the spell she used to unlock her blue fire and destroy the dragon, Azhdeha. It is strongly implied that it was Hecate Witch-Queen herself who aided Iliana "even though she'd been dead for over ten thousand years". It can be assumed that it was Hecate's spirit that spoke to Iliana. Powers and abilities Possession Spirits have the ability to possess people, as seen when Gary forcibly took over Gillian's body in attempt to cause a car crash. Though, he was only partially able to do so, as Gillian was actively resisting Gary's possession. This ability appears to be only limited to spirits who have crossed over to the living plane. Levitation As they are no longer bound the laws of physics, spirits can defy gravity and freely levitate. They can hover around as they choose, notably used by Gary. Notable Spirits *Suzanne Blanchet *Walstan Harman *Gary Fargeon *Gillian Lennox (briefly) Trivia *Thus far, all spirits who appeared in the series have been witches. References Category:Species